The Radical Period of The French Revolution
By the end of 1971, Europe was preparing to witness the end of a seemingly triumphant revolution in France. The country was restructuring its government in a forceful and bloodless manner, while the tyrant King
Louis the XVI agreed to the demands of the masses (albeit without much choice). However, due to the fanatical aspirations of men such as Danton,
Marat and Robespierre,it would be only a matter of months before the moderate stage of social and political reform was transformed into a radical phase of barbaric and violent force. In their quest for freedom, equality and fraternity, the leaders of the Jacobins inadvertently turned the revolution into an oligarchic dictatorship
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Moderate forces preferred to concentrate on the foreign affairs of "new" France, but the radicals insisted on domestic stability first. Led by the popular
Danton and the merciless Marat, the Paris Commune discarded the old constitution and called for a National Convention to begin work on a new, revised version.
The National Convention, divided by the moderate Girondins and the radical Jacobins, was the place where the future of the country was to be eventually determined. It was the premise of the Jacobins that they should eradicate the "enemy within" and secure the destiny of the revolution through the destruction of counter-revolutionary forces. They believed that by weeding out those who opposed the revolution, they could achieve their goals quickly and efficiently. The Girondins were not so quick to agree with the Jacobins, and so political deadlock begin to form in the
Convention. It was not until after the September massacres, when 1200 prisoners were executed without trials, that Robespierre and his followers were able to justify their premise. They condemned the actions of the unruly mobs that caused the deaths of innocent Frenchmen and demanded that the Monarchy be abolished in order to eliminate as many of the royalists and monarchists that still remained. It was Marat with his want 100,000 heads to fall" speeches that convinced the masses that those who were not in favour of the revolution had to be dealt with immediately
A nation cannot be one when the people do not believe in the ideals of the government. The revolution was merely a civil war which pitted citizens against one another. While many people believed in the revolution, they did not accept the extremist ideas of the Jacobins, and for that thousands of ordinary people were targeted and killed. The September Massacres was a subsequent mass killing of prisoners, after news that the Prussian Army had invaded France. On September 3, 1792, crowds of French citizens stormed into the prisons where they attacked prisoners and refractory clergy, regardless of their status as counter revolutionary. An account of this event by Nicolas-Edme Restif illustrates the torture the citizens inflicted on the prisoners who were their “brothers”:
The revolutionary government established the Reign of Terror in September of 1793, with the spread of civil war and opposing armies surrounding France. The Reign of Terror allowed the government to take harsh measures against those suspected to be conspiring against the revolution (Reign of Terror). In a little under a year, 300,000 suspected revolutionary adversaries are put under arrest, over 17,000 more are sent to be guillotined. Robespierre used the Reign of Terror as a means to dispose of his political enemies through executions. Through the Reign of Terror, Robespierre gained the power of deciding life over death for others.
The Reign of Terror was a period of violence that succeeded the beginning of the French Revolution; it was caused by conflict between two rival political parties, and tens of thousands were executed by guillotine on account of being ‘enemies of the revolution’. The French Revolution started with the storming of the Bastille, and since then the government had been in a state of constant turmoil. Civil war broke out in multiple regions and various foreign countries started attacking France on all sides; a man named Maximilien Robespierre, who belonged to a radical group known as the Jacobins, saw his chance and seized the government along with his fellow extremists. The Jacobins felt that “it was their duty to preserve the revolution, even if it meant violence and terror” which
The recently established constitutional monarchy no longer had a reigning monarch. The new National Convention soon after came into power. The Convention was far more radical than the Assembly; in its first meeting, the Convention declared France a republic. Not long after, it executed Louis XVI, demonstrating its removal from monarchical government as well as its drive to protect the liberty of the people and the security of the state. The Reign of Terror began In March of 1793, when the dictatorial Committee of Public Safety began executing so-called 'traitors', or anyone who disagreed with the new regime. The Convention believed they had created a “republic of virtue,” which was largely founded on ideas from Rousseau’s Social Contract. Civic virtue, the sacrifice of oneself for the good of a republic, was to replace selfish aristocratic and royal corruption. It was in the name of common good that the Committee of Public Safety carried out the policies of the terror. These policies became increasingly violent and cruel as the revolution went on. The guillotine became a popular way to quiet those who didn’t agree with the new regime (doc. 9). Maximilien Robespierre embodied this republic of virtue defended by terror. Robespierre believed that the republic of virtue meant wholehearted support of the republican government and the protection of the state
The French Revolution pitted the Monarchy against the Revolutionaries in a power struggle, but even within the Revolutionary’s group, there were several subgroups vying for power such as, the Girondists (Girondins?) and the Jacobins. The Girondists were the moderate political party and wanted limited democracy for Revolutionary France, whereas, the Jacobins were the radical party that wanted pure democracy for France (Gallant 123) [cite this way?]. Both groups, however, wanted freedom from the dictatorial rule of the Monarchy and the Estate System (capitalized?) that controlled France before the Revolution took place. The Estate System split the citizens of France into three different groups: the First Estate with 10,000 people and the most power, the Second Estate with 400,000 people and moderate power, and the Third Estate with 25 million people and the least power. (Gallant 111) The unfair burdens placed upon the citizens of the Third Estate soon led to the French Revolution in July of 1789, in which democracy and equal rights were sought. At first the Girondists won the governmental spot, but this power struggle eventually led to the Jacobins to gain leadership from 1793-1794. During their short but impactful rule, there were several different types of propaganda that the Jacobins used as political policies to
Edelstein points to the new government as being the culprits to terror, which is best stated as “It remains to be explained why the Jacobins unceasingly widened their circle of hostility, from the king to essentially anyone, during the period known as the Great Terror.” (Edelstein 82). The work continues to emphasis the misdeeds of the government and specifically details the shift towards approved institutional violence against those suspected enemies as stated “Instead of preserving the rights and lives of the many, natural right enabled and encouraged State violence to occur on a formidable level” (Edelstein 57). Edelstein throughout his work to reiterate that the governing body in France set out to do things that hadn’t been done before. The individuals desired to create a new France, but didn’t have a pre-dating event to look for reference to.
Charlotte Corday was not against Revolution in general, but she was against the violent element represented by Jacobins. Charlotte is believed to be a big sympathizer of the Girondist fraction that sent Louis XVI to the guillotine earlier of that year. The power of the Girondists was overthrown in June 2, 1793 when 80,000 citizens surrounded convention and demanded their arrest. Marat was an instrumental person that influenced the downfall of the Girondists and was a big proposer of a radical elimination of this party and their supporter. Marat once said that it is necessary to executed hundreds of thousands of people for good of the republic. His publishing was full of hatred that initiated an outburst of a mob violence. The violence spreads out from Paris to the provinces. After the overthrowing the Girondists, they were proscribed, hunted down, and arrested. Charlotte Corday who seen the growing violence, came to conclusion that only one person is responsible for the chaos, and with his elimination, the peace will return.
In September of 1793 Robespierre declares the beginning of the Reign of Terror. During this time many innocent people were beheaded for speaking out against the government. The Committee of Public Safety did not have sufficient reason to restrict the rights of the french people and kill them. The increasing pressure from the outside and inside threats did not justify the cruel treatment of the French people who were punished for speaking out, this only caused them to rebel against the government. The committee of public safety used intimidation to control the people instead of using fair laws and regulations. They disregarded the French constitution that the National assembly had previously made. All of this eventually led up to the unhappiness and civil unrest that they had previously wanted
France was under extreme turmoil because of its structure and King Louis XVI, there were many growing tensions throughout France that needed to be dealt with before the revolution was to take over. The three estates in France were under a very unequal system where the majority vote and majority of wealth came from less than 10 percent of the country; many privileges were the given to them like minimal taxes and all authority. The other 90 percent of the country was living in extremely poor conditions and were spending 90 percent of their wages on bread. King Louis XVI continued to charge the third-estate excessive amounts of taxes to pay for his contribution to the American war. Moderates believed they could change these issues through minor reforms, but when that failed the radicals realized it would take a revolution to change the problems that persisted in France. Because strict government control during the Radical stage of the revolution (1792-1794) was placed in society, a dictator of the Radical stage, Maximilien Robespierre was able to achieve more than the moderate stage (1789-1792). There were many great ideas in the moderate stage but they were pursued with the dedication of the leaders in the radical stage, while they were already achieving many of their own goals.
The Real Cause of the French Revolution For hundreds of years historians have tried to find out the real cause
The American and French Revolutions are both unforgettable historical events that have made a substantial and severe impact on the present-day society. The American Revolution was an influential time period, lasting from 1774-1783, where the 13 British colonies in the Americas rebelled against the rule of Great Britain for independence. The French Revolution was a period of chaos from 1789 to 1799, where the people of France tried to overthrow their monarchy, King Louis XVI. Both of these Revolutions can certainly be compared to emphasized the similarities and differences of these prominent uprisings. Though extensively similar, the Revolutions differed in what social classes made impacts, the ways of addressing opposing supporters, and
The year 1789 proved to be a pivotal and historical epoch of political upheavals, radical social movements, and the demolition of the old age monarchy in France. The Tennis Court Oath, storming of the Bastille, passage of the Declaration on the Rights of Man and Citizen, and an unprecedented assault on Versailles as well as the use of the guillotine defined the spirit and historical meaning of the French Revolution. Due to the significance of the tumultuous political and social overhaul that took place, many stances have been taken on interpreting the revolution. The ideas formed regarding the interpretation of the causes and effects of the French Revolution are important in understanding the birth of new political ideologies that
On August 10, 1792 insurgents led by Jacobins attacked the royal residence in Paris and arrested the king. The following month, waves of violence done by Parisian Rebels massacred hundreds of accused anti revolutionary people. On January 21, 1793, king Louis XVI was condemned to death for treason and crimes against the state, his wife Marie-Antoinette suffered the same fate nine months later(1755-1793). After the King's execution various ethnic wars broke out against European powers and different divisions in the national convention initiated the French Revolution into the most violent phase. In June 1793 the control of the National Convention was taken by jacobins and instituted radical measures, and adding the establishment of a new calendar and destruction of Christianity. Unleashing the reign of terror, for 10 months suspected enemies of revolution were beheaded. Robespierre which dominated the Committee of Public Safety gave out orders for many killings. By July 28, 1794 Robespierre was
However Jacobins believed in taking extreme measures of violence against those who opposed the revolution, especially other countries. Once Jacobins were in control they increased the size of France’s army and fought against foreign enemies. They were able to win these battles but most were not happy that this Reign of Terror was taking away from the issues the French Revolution had set out to change. In one his speeches Robespierre said, “If the spring of popular government in time of peace is virtue, the springs of popular government in revolution are at once virtue and terror: virtue, without which terror is fatal; terror, without which virtue is powerless. Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible...It has been said that terror is the principle of despotic government. Does your government therefore resemble despotism? Yes, as the sword that gleams in the hands of the heroes of liberty resembles that with which the henchmen of tyranny are armed” (Robespierre, 1794). In this quote Robespierre owns up to the fact the Jacobins are out to create peace and virtue but in order to do that they must terrorize. His reasoning for terrorizing both foreign and domestic enemies, and executing thousands of people is summed up by wanting an unrealistic utopia. Robespierre in this quote is also admitting to using the same tactics as tyrants to achieve victory for
The French Revolution was a period of time from 1789 to 1799 in France where there was political instability. It officially began on the 14th of July, 1789, when the Bastille, which was a symbol of the King’s harsh policies, was stormed. The King, Louis XVI, the Queen, Marie-Antoinette and about 40,000 people were all brutally murdered. But there was also a positive side, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was formally adopted on August 1789 and feudalism was abolished. This essay will address the issues of the three estates system, food shortages and the fiscal crisis. It will also be argued that the most significant cause of the French Revolution was the social inequality that stemmed from the three estates system.